How American tourists are saving France's summer
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How American tourists are saving France’s summer

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How American tourists are saving France's summer
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Summer is in full swing in Paris and the entrance square to the Louvre is busy with vendors selling water or Eiffel Tower souvenirs. Among them, US tourist Chris Walkley is enjoying his first visit to France, taking selfies with his girlfriend by the art museum’s glass pyramid.
“Paris definitely lived up to its reputation,” says Walkley, from Boston. “Food’s been great. Everyone’s been very hospitable.”
For Walkley, traveling to France has been a symbol of getting his life back to normal after two years of restrictions and disruptions caused by the pandemic. “I feel like things are back on track,” he adds with a smile.
For France, Walkley’s presence is a symbol of optimism.
He’s just one of the tens of thousands of Americans expected to visit Paris this summer, bringing a widespread sense of relief to a tourism industry battered by Covid and the sanctions-induced loss of the wealthy Russians who regularly flock to its hotspots.
North America is projected to be the biggest contributor to the Parisian tourism market this summer, according to the city’s government, with booking levels almost back to pre-pandemic 2019 levels.
“The Americans are doing the job,” said Frédéric Hocquard, Paris deputy mayor for tourism.
“Meaning that they are coming back en masse and with a lot of money to spend.”

They’re back!

Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat Mayor Jean-François Dieterich says Russian tourists have been replaced by others.
Even outside of Paris, from north to south, tourist workers and government officials across France are chanting the same enthusiastic message — the Americans are back!
This was the front page headline of the Nice Matin, a prominent French Riviera newspaper, on July 6. “They are spending without counting after two years of restrictions,” it reported.
On average, American tourists, mostly visiting in groups, are each spending $402 (400 euros) per day in France, bringing the budget for a 10-day visit to a stunning $7,687, way ahead of any other foreign tourists, according to a report did by research company GfK for Visa.
The Americans are especially important this year for the south of France along the Mediterranean, whose beautiful coastlines have long been a paradise harboring many wealthy Russian vacationers.
The department of Alpes-Maritime, home to the sun-kissed likes of Nice and Cannes, was projected to lose $50.4 million in 2022 due to the absence of the Russian tourists who descended on towns like Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, according to a report published by the area’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry in March as it evaluated the impact of war in Ukraine.
But those negative forecasts have failed to play out, the chamber of commerce said, acknowledging that “the summer season is looking quite good.”
The unexpected turnaround was confirmed by local officials and hotel owners on the ground in the French Riviera.
“It is true that there is less Russians for sure but they have been replaced by all the other people,” said Jean-François Dieterich, mayor of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat.
The small town of fewer than 1,500 residents has six out of the 61 Russian-owned properties frozen by the French government, according to the French Finance Ministry.
“It was quite surprising because we felt that a lack of Russian clientele will have an impact on the hotel but finally it did not,” said Bruno Mercadal, manager of Hotel Royal-Riviera, a five-star venue in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat.

‘Travel revenge’

Predicted huge tourism losses in the Alpes-Maritime region have failed to materialize.
Before the pandemic, Russian tourists represented 20% to 25% of the hotel’s customers during the summer months, but this year all were gone due to sanctions imposed on Russia.
Mercadal recalled the chaos that erupted shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine — Russian guests staying at the hotel had to pay with cash because their credit cards became useless after their country was kicked out of the SWIFT international payment system.
Now, Americans are flocking to Mercadal’s hotel. Usually, US visitors represent around the same share of clientele as Russians before the pandemic, but this year for June alone, the share of American guests jumped to 42%.
“This is quite incredible,” Mercadal said.
The war in Ukraine has also impacted exchange rates, driving down the value of the euro to its lowest levels against the dollar since 2002, meaning that traveling to Europe has become a lot cheaper for Americans.
“What’s going on this year was this travel revenge,” Mercadal said, referring to the phenomenon of people splurging on big trips as a way of making up for the Covid-enforced sequestrations of the past two years.
“It’s a good surprise and it compensates, largely, [for] the lack of Russian clientele,” he adds.
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Travel abroad is poised ‘for a big comeback’ in 2023 as Americans eye trips to Asia, Europe

Madison Franz

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Travel abroad is poised ‘for a big comeback’ in 2023 as Americans eye trips to Asia, Europe
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KEY POINTS
  • Thirty-one percent of Americans are more interested in international than domestic travel, according to a recent poll by tourism market research firm Destination Analysts.
  • Households are continuing to unleash two or three years’ worth of pent-up demand as Covid-19 fears wane and the last vestiges of pandemic-era border restrictions have eased.
  • Asia-Pacific is drawing particularly vigorous interest, although European destinations retain their popularity, too.

Americans are poised to travel overseas in a big way in 2023.

Households are continuing to unleash two or three years’ worth of pent-up demand as Covid-19 fears wane and the last vestiges of pandemic-era border restrictions have eased.

The U.S. dollar also remains relatively strong versus currencies like the euro, hybrid work yields more flexibility for big trips and some airlines have added new long-haul routes to overseas destinations, according to travel experts.

“The travel industry is just going gangbusters,” said Erin Florio, executive editor of Condé Nast Traveler.

Why travel abroad is poised ‘for a big comeback’

D3sign | Moment | Getty Images

Thirty-one percent of Americans are more interested in international than domestic travel, according to a recent poll by tourism market research firm Destination Analysts. That was a six-point increase from February and a year-to-date high, according to the survey, published in November.

Meanwhile, 62% of 2023 flight searches in the first week of December were for international destinations, up from 55% the same time last year, according to a recent Hopper report. It cited international travel among the top three trends for 2023, saying it’s poised “for a big comeback.”

Searches on Kayak for flights abroad are up 1.3% versus a year ago, according to company data as of Dec. 18. Those for domestic flights were down 13%.

Thailand will be a stand-out country in 2023, says economist

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Thailand will be a stand-out country in 2023, says economist
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In 2022, the share of international trips for which Americans bought travel insurance was on par with 2019 levels, the first time that had occurred in the pandemic era, according to data from online travel insurance marketplace Squaremouth. The trend has continued for trips booked for 2023.

American travelers largely stayed within U.S. borders in 2020 and 2021 amid health concerns and overseas Covid-related restrictions such as testing requirements, mandatory quarantines or outright bans on foreign tourists. Visits to U.S. national parks boomed and RV rentals soared as outdoor vacations offered the dual benefits of travel and relative virus safety.

Now, fear of the virus has waned. In September, the share of travelers unconcerned about contracting Covid surpassed those who are concerned, the first time that had happened in the pandemic era, according to Destination Analysts.

‘There’s a lot of pent-up travel demand’

Tower Bridge, London.
Tower Bridge, London.
Karl Hendon | Moment | Getty Images

2022 was also a year for more big trips abroad — but a spike in virus cases toward the end of 2021 and into the new year, fueled by the highly contagious omicron variant, somewhat dampened enthusiasm, experts said.

“There’s a lot of pent-up travel demand,” said Jessica Griscavage, a travel advisor and CEO of Runway Travel. “We missed travel for two to three years.”

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This so-called “revenge travel” trend — a term recently coined to describe burgeoning, pent-up wanderlust — coincides with looser health rules abroad and at home.

The U.S. dropped a Covid testing requirement for inbound air travelers from abroad in June. That rule, which also applied to U.S. citizens, mandated a negative test within a day of flying.

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Many countries had also fully closed their borders to foreign tourists. Now, most are again welcoming visitors — especially those with a Covid vaccine.

Fully vaccinated tourists can access 197 countries without Covid-19 testing or quarantine, and an additional 16 are open but require testing, according to Kayak data.

More Read: Visit

“We’re pretty much at a place where we can go anywhere,” Florio said.

Just 12 countries, including China, Libya, Turkmenistan and Yemen, are still closed to vaccinated Americans, according to Kayak.

Those traveling to Japan right now are 'mostly rich people,' says Japan Association of Travel Agents

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Those traveling to Japan right now are ‘mostly rich people,’ JATA says

Many countries have more restrictions in place for the unvaccinated. About 69% of Americans are fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC recommends being up to date on vaccines before international travel.

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Many nations — including AustraliaBhutanIsraelJapanMalaysiaMoroccoNew Zealandthe Philippines and Singapore — eased border closures in 2022. Many European nations also dropped testing requirements for Americans. (Travelers should consult the U.S. State Department website for country-specific Covid restrictions.)

In addition, the pandemic-era surge in remote work has made “bucket-list trips more of an achievable reality,” said Nitya Chambers, executive editor and senior vice president of content at Lonely Planet.

Indeed, Hopper found 67% of travelers take trips more often and 20% travel farther away due to the flexibility of remote work.

Where travel is ramping up most

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Marty Windle | Moment | Getty Images

The Asia-Pacific region is poised for the biggest bounce in 2023 due to its broad reopening in the second half of 2022, travel experts said.

Japan has seen perhaps the biggest boost in interest, they said. The country re-opened its borders to travelers Oct. 11, with some remaining restrictions.

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“You almost can’t talk about travel without the country of Japan being referenced for 2023,” Florio said, adding that Australia and New Zealand are also “massive.”

Asia has surged in demand the most of all regions, according to Hopper data, which shows 27% of international flight searches are to Asian cities versus 19% last year.

Indeed, eight of the top 10 trending international flight destinations in early December were within Asia and Oceania, Hopper said. Tokyo; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; and Bangkok were the top three, with airfare averaging around $1,200 per round trip ticket.

Bangkok, Thailand.
Bangkok, Thailand.
Pakin Songmor | Moment | Getty Images

G Adventures, an international tour operator, has seen 2023 sales swell most for Japan, Thailand and Vietnam, said managing director Ben Perlo. This November was a record overall month for the company; sales for the three Asian nations each surpassed their November 2019 numbers, he said.

However, Europe has remained the most popular destination in terms of total volume, with European cities capturing a third of all international flight searches, about the same as 2021, Hopper said.

Long-term rentals (those 28 days or longer) have “become substantially more popular in Asia-Pacific compared to a year ago,” according to an AirBnb spokesperson. Most long-term stays are in Europe and North America, though.

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Major European hubs were among the top searched this year through Sept. 30, according to Google Flights data. London ranked No. 1, followed by Paris (No. 3), Rome (No. 6) and Lisbon (No. 9). Ho Chi Minh City was No. 2, while other Asian cities like Delhi and Mumbai also ranked highly (No. 4 and 7, respectively).

We’re pretty much at a place where we can go anywhere.

Italy, the U.K. and France ranked a respective first, third and fifth among top foreign destinations in 2023, according to a recent Destination Analysts poll. (Canada, Mexico and Japan ranked second, fourth and sixth, respectively.)

“Everybody wants to go to Europe,” said Griscavage. “It was a destination everyone missed through the pandemic.”

Due to the demand, people have gotten more “creative” on how to travel to Europe, she added. Many are opting for the typically less busy (and less costly) shoulder season, perhaps as early as March or in the late fall, Griscavage said.

More Read: Visit

Global demand for travel has played out similarly, with most interest directed at Europe and Asia, according to Expedia data. Edinburgh, Scotland, and Sydney, Australia, rank No. 1 and 6 partly due to respective major events like the Fringe, the world’s largest arts and media festival, and WorldPride, Expedia said.

Economic concerns, inflation ‘aren’t stopping people’

Edinburgh, Scotland.
Edinburgh, Scotland.
Joe Daniel Price | Moment | Getty Images

This isn’t all to say travel is without headwinds, though. Value has been of particular concern for travelers, whose budgets have been stressed by high inflation. Overall prices for airline fares and hotels are up 36% and 3%, respectively, in the past year, according to the consumer price index.

International trips are poised to be more expensive next year, Hopper said, despite signals from the consumer price index that airfare, hotel and rental car prices have been trending downward in recent months. The desire to travel abroad has swelled through 2022 despite these economic anxieties, said Destination Analysts.

The euro has been trading at historically weak levels against the U.S. dollar, meaning Americans have been able to get bargains when booking travel to countries like France, Germany, Italy and Portugal. That dynamic is likely driving at least part of the popularity, Perlo said. (The euro has strengthened a bit in recent weeks, though.)

“The economy right now and prices aren’t stopping people from traveling,” Chambers said. “People have been home, they want to get back out there, they have a list of things they want to experience and they’re doing that.”

More Read: Visit

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How to Become a Certified Flight Instructor

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Becoming a certified flight instructor is a rewarding career that combines a passion for aviation with a challenging career. As a flight instructor, you will be responsible for training student pilots who will one day become commercial, instrument, or multiengine pilots. As a flight instructor, you will have the opportunity to build hundreds of hours of flying experience, which is valuable for your professional development as a pilot. You can even turn your passion for flying into a lucrative profession.

There are two levels of certification. Obtaining a flight instructor certificate is required for commercial pilots. To earn a certificate as a flight instructor, you must have a commercial pilot license in a light-air aircraft. The FAA has specific requirements for becoming a flight instructor. To become a flight instructor, you must pass a practical exam.

The most common reason to become a CFI is to build flight time. Since most aviation jobs require a minimum amount of flight time, most candidates choose to teach flight training to build their hours. The teaching aspect of the job allows them to build their experience steadily while reinforcing the knowledge they learned during flight training. Additionally, flight instructors become knowledgeable pilots who are endorsed by other pilots to take practical tests.

After completing the ground school, applicants will undergo a comprehensive training program, which covers ground school fundamentals and flight instructor aeronautical knowledge. During this course, candidates will spend a considerable amount of time self-studying and teaching other students. They must be capable of providing safe flight instruction to their student pilots. The CFI course is designed to make this transition as seamless as possible for all participants.

The CFII flight rating enables instructors to teach students who are working towards an instrument rating. In addition to training students to earn their instrument rating, they may hold privileges of other instructor ratings. For example, a CFII can teach students how to fly an aircraft with a multi-engine or instrument rating. These two ratings are the highest in the aviation industry and are responsible for teaching student pilots.

A certified flight instructor can also become a seasoned instrument flying instructor. Instrument flying instruction is challenging and rewarding, but it does require a lot of work. The CFI training includes a knowledge test that covers instrument flying basics and flight procedures. There is also an exam known as the FAA checkride, which requires the student to answer questions related to the principles of learning. Practicing in a simulator is a great way to prepare for the checkride.

An instrument-rated flight instructor must have a flight instructor certificate and have at least 200 hours of experience teaching pilots. A flight instructor’s privileges are further restricted by the Federal Aviation Regulations. For example, flight instructors who teach in a flight school under 14 CFR parts 141 and 142 may require specialized authorization from the local controlling agency. The certification process can be arduous, but the rewards will be well worth it.

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US H-1B visa, green card process to get easier, Indians to benefit

Madison Franz

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US H-1B visa, green card process to get easier, Indians to benefit
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The White House is looking into a presidential commission’s recommendations to cut the processing time for Green Card applications to just six months and to clear the backlogs by April 2023 in a move that could help hundreds of thousands of immigrant families, especially those from China and India.

The President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders released its inaugural report on Friday. The report was approved on May 12 and transmitted to the President on August 24 and the White House Domestic Policy Council is currently reviewing its recommendations before they can sent to President Joe Biden for his decision.

The report states because of COVID-19-related closures and staffing limitations as well as the continued effect of the 2017 travel bans, processing green cards up to the annual cap has been difficult.

It recommends that the Department of State’s National Visa Center (NVC) facility should hire additional officers to increase its capacity to process Green Card application interviews by 100 percent in three months from August 2022, and by increasing Green Card applications and visa interviews and adjudicate decisions by 150 percent by April 2023, and reduce the current backlog by the end of 2023.

The committee said in the report that Green Card visa interviews and visa processing timelines should be limited to a targeted goal of six months.Green Card visa interviews and visa processing timelines should be limited to a targeted goal of six months

The commission recommends to reduce the agency’s pending family-based Green Card backlog, US Citizenship and Immigration Services should review their processes, systems, and policies and establish new internal cycle time goals by streamlining processes, removing redundant steps, if any, and automating any manual approvals.

It says this should improve its internal dashboards and reporting system, and enhance policies to reduce the cycle time for processing all forms related to family-based Green Card applications

Family reunification has been delayed for years due to an increase in family-based immigration backlogs over the past three decades.

The report states that out of the 226,000 green cards available, only 65,452 family-based preference green cards were issued in FY 2021.

“If there is a query or more information is needed, USCIS (the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) and the Department of State (DOS) shall continue to process the applications outside the six-month goal and adjudicate decisions in a timely fashion,”

“If an application is not completed in six months, then it will not be terminated and will continue to be processed in a timely fashion ongoing,”, the report states.

The recommendations also include adjudicating requests for temporary work programmes, such as the H-1B and H-2A visas for agricultural workers within a span of two months extending the period of work permit extension to 365 days instead of the current 180 days.

A green card is a Permanent Resident Card issued to immigrants to the US as evidence that the bearer has been granted the privilege of residing permanently while the H1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to hire foreign workers for specialized positions that call for theoretical or technical expertise.

If accepted and implemented the recommendations could be a big relief to immigrant families especially from India and China.

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